


Yuletide Confidential

by yuletide_archivist



Category: L.A. Confidential (1997)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-12-18
Updated: 2004-12-18
Packaged: 2018-01-25 07:04:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1638017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Story by JennyB</p><p>Sgt. Jack Vincennes deals with the aftermath of Bloody Christmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Yuletide Confidential

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Ruby Nye

 

 

_"It's Christmas Eve in the City of Angels and while decent citizens sleep the sleep of the righteous, hopheads prowl for marijuana, not knowing that a man is coming to stop them. Celebrity crimestopper Jack Vincennes, scourge of grasshoppers and dope fiends everywhere. You like it, Jackie-Boy?"_

"Yeah, subtle."

Sergeant Jack Vincennes slipped out of his stained sports coat and tossed it over the back of a chair in his small apartment kitchen. The press he got from the Movie Premiere Pot Bust sure as hell wasn't going to do him any good now.

This is what he got for trying to be a good guy, for trying to help out when things really got out of hand. He hadn't been down there to join in the fight. Jack had wanted to stop things before they went too far. A couple of spics with some bruises were one thing. Dead prisoners were another. Image was everything. Jack knew that very well.

Image had gotten him where he was, probably the most famous cop in Los Angeles. Between his job with Badge of Honor and his arrangement with Sid Hudgins, pretty much all Jack had to do was smile and look good.

Speaking of looking good, Jack thought as his loosened his bloody tie. He was going to have to trash the jacket and the tie. Even his cleaner couldn't get blood out of silk.

After pouring himself three fingers of scotch, Jack went to his bedroom and emptied his pockets onto his dresser. His money clip caught his eye. At least he'd made an extra ten bucks that night. Thanks to Hush-Hush Magazine, it wouldn't put too much of a dent in his bank account to put his wardrobe back to rights. Of course, it would be a couple of days before he could go shopping. Tomorrow was Christmas, after all.

Jack almost didn't hear the phone because he'd turned off the ringer on the extension in the bedroom. He wasn't certain he wanted to answer it, but he couldn't think of a reason not to, so he picked up.

"Vincennes."

"Jackie-Boy. I just got word what happened. Wanted to make sure you were home."

Jack slumped onto the side of the bed. Great. Sid. Calling to get the inside scoop, no doubt. "News travels fast, eh, Sid?"

"In this town? Nothing travels faster."

Patience wearing thin, Jack took a swig of his scotch before he spoke. "You got something for me, Sid, or did you just call to wish me a Merry Christmas?"

"Got a present for you, Jack. You just wait. It'll be there soon."

A click on the other end of the line told Jack that his friend had disconnected. Jack just chuckled and stared at the handset for a minute, shaking his head. He wondered what Sid had up his sleeve. Jack had done enough for the circulation of Sid's rag that he deserved a gift, but Sid had strange ideas about a lot of things. A gift from him might not be something Jack would want to receive.

Setting his glass on the bedside table, Jack stripped his shirt off, inspecting it carefully for specks of blood. Thankfully, he found none, so he stuffed the shirt into his laundry bag for his cleaning woman to take care of.

Moving sleekly, he changed into a pair of navy blue silk pajamas and slipped his feet into a pair of kid leather slippers. Picking up his now empty glass, he went back to the kitchen for another belt. Who knew what tomorrow was going to bring? He sure as hell didn't, but he knew it wasn't going to be good. Being hung over wouldn't make it much worse.

Just as he reached up into the cupboard for the bottle, a knock came at his door. Sid's present, he assumed.

"That was fast."

Not willing to trust the devious little man farther than he could throw him, Jack reached for his holster and pulled his pistol out, automatically checking the cylinder to make sure it was full. It shocked him when he saw long, wavy brunette hair through the peephole in his door.

Karen. From the Badge of Honor party. How had Sid managed it? She hated him and with good reason.

Another knock.

"Uh, just a second!"

It wasn't like Jack to be anything less than smooth, but this certainly wasn't the present he was expecting. He couldn't be blamed for being caught off guard.

Jack Vincennes set his gun down on the telephone table by the door and silently thanked whatever God watched over guys like him that he had good taste in pajamas. One deep breath to calm himself and he opened the door, grinning as he did so.

Ever the gentleman, he silently let Karen in as quickly as he could. It was one thing was girls like her did behind closed doors. It was another thing entirely if she got caught, as Tammy Jordan knew all to well.

Once she was inside, Jack took Karen's light wrap, draping it over a chair. He turned to face her again and stood admiring her pale, creamy shoulders for a moment before he spoke.

"Can I get you anything? I was just about to pour myself some scotch."

Karen's eyes twinkled as she replied, "Whatever you're having is fine, Jack."

Jack leaned in, laying a hand gently on her waist as he gave her a soft peck on the cheek. "Then make yourself at home. I'll be right back."

In the kitchen, he poured himself a smaller amount of liquor this time, pouring Karen a glass as well. He wished he had ice. He didn't want it to look like he was trying to get her drunk. Jack smiled to himself as he thought he wouldn't have to get her drunk. The fact of her being there was enough to tell him he was going to get lucky.

Still, a nagging little voice in his head chimed, it was Sid that sent her. There could be a camera somewhere. Or some other way of Sid to use this against Jack later. But why? Why would Sid want to screw of a relationship that was so mutually beneficial?

"Jack? Is everything all right?"

At the sound of Karen's voice, he shook off his doubts and sidled into the living room with a glass in each hand. He sat next to Karen on his small, modern-looking sofa, handing her drink to her, which she accepted with another sparkling smile.

They toasted silently and sipped their drinks. In the silence, Jack smiled his most charming smile at his guest.

"I'm sorry," he began.

"For what?"

"That I'm not appropriately dressed for company. I wasn't expecting you so soon."

"You look just fine to me."

Jack watched as Karen took another sip of her drink, eyes fluttering closed as she swallowed. Jack didn't think he'd seen anything so delicious in his life. God, she was ripe for it.

"Would you like to dance?"

At Karen's nod, Jack rose swiftly from the sofa and warmed up his hi-fi. He had Dean Martin on top of his stack of records and he knew the women all loved Dino. Dino had class, style, and still had that hint of sex that drove the ladies crazy.

Jack felt himself relax as he heard the strains of that smooth voice filter from the speakers. He allowed himself another secret smile before he turned around again, letting himself enjoy the certainty of the night ahead. He would definitely have to thank Sid for his thoughtful gift.

Just like at the `Badge of Honor' party, they swayed to the music together, only this time their bodies were closer, sharing each others' warmth. Jack inhaled her perfume, faint but still present. She must have saved for months to buy her little bottle of Chanel No. 5.

Thinking about the party earlier made Jack think about Sid again and Karen's reaction to him. Part of him was still a little shocked that the woman in his arms would be doing a favor for someone who'd called her an `ingenue dyke'. Unable to push the line of thought out of his head, he gave in to his impulse.

"How much did he have to pay you?

Karen stiffened in his arms. "What are you talking about?"

"Sid. How much did he have to pay you to come here? I mean, you hate his guts, right? Did you squeeze him good?"

Jack doubled over in pain as Karen dug her high heel into his foot. He hobbled after her to try and help her with her wrap and show her to the door, but she pushed him off.

"I should have known you weren't any different than any of those guys on the show. You belong in Hollywood, Jack. You're just as much of a fake as the rest of them!"

Jack flinched as his front door slammed. He didn't know what she was so upset about. It seemed to him that if they were both on Hudgins' payroll, they should be able to speak freely about it.

Carefully limping back to the kitchen, he brought out the bottle of scotch and sat on the sofa, filling his glass and taking a large swig. Enough of that will deaden any pain. He'd done it enough to know.

He was taking the last swig when his doorbell rang. It'd only been about ten minutes. Had Karen cooled off and changed her mind?

Looking through the peephole, he saw long, brown, wavy hair again, but he had to do a double take. This woman wasn't Karen. She looked like Ava Gardner. The chin wasn't quite right. Jack knew because he'd met Ava Gardner before, but this gal was pretty damn close.

He straightened himself up and tried to put his weight evenly on both feet before he opened the door.

"Can I help you?" he asked the lovely creature on his doorstep.

"Compliments of Mr. Hudgins," was all she said.

Suddenly Jack wasn't in any kind of mood for a party. He looked at the beautiful brunette who had probably come to Hollywood to become a star and he just felt old.

"Go on home, honey."

"But..."

"Go home. Tell your boss you had a good time and that you earned your hundred bucks or whatever you're getting." For some reason he remembered the extra ten dollars in his money clip and said, "Wait a sec. Just wait here a sec."

He dashed for his bedroom and grabbed the ten-spot from his dresser. When he got back to the front door, he gave the bill to the young woman.

"Look, I know it isn't much, but you could buy a new pair of shoes or something. Get something for yourself. Just take it, will ya?"

Silently, the look-alike took the money, a curious expression on her face. Shrugging, she turned and went back to the curb where a sleek black car waited for her.

Jack turned off the hi-fi, turned out the lights and headed for bed, the last of the scotch in his glass. In bed, he sighed, once again wondering what the aftermath of Christmas Eve would bring. He thought about the brawl at the stationhouse. He thought about Karen, the woman who might have been good for him if could have just been `off' for a night. He thought about the hooker, the gorgeous young thing he'd sent away. That thought made him smile. At least he'd done a good deed on Christmas.

 


End file.
